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Written by Nikki Solano

Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️

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Some of the information below is an excerpt from our Costa Rica beach guide. If you haven’t yet decided to visit Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast / Guanacaste and you’re open to visiting beaches in any region of Costa Rica, let the beaches in our countrywide beach guide direct you where to go:

80+ Costa Rica Beaches (In Photos) And Where To Find Them

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Costa Rica’s Northern Pacific / Guanacaste beaches

One of the most time-consuming parts of Costa Rica vacation planning is deciding on a beach destination, and with a total of 1,228 kilometers of coastline to choose from, the task isn’t an easy one. If you have no idea where you want to go in Costa Rica, our Costa Rica Destination Tool can help you with that; you can use it (as many times as you want) to narrow down 66 Costa Rica destinations according to nearly 150 criteria in less than 1 minute. Alternatively, if you’ve already decided to visit Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast / Guanacaste but you’re not sure which beaches are found in the region, you’re in the right place. Our article below covers 25 beaches that stretch out along Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast (Guanacaste), some popular and others remote, including Playa Avellanas, Playa Blanca, Playa Brasilito, Playa Conchal, Playa Danta, Playa Dantita, Playa del Coco, Playa Flamingo, Playa Grande, Playa Hermosa, Playa Junquillal, Playa Langosta, Playa Matapalo, Playa Minas, Playa Nacascolo, Playa Negra, Playa Ocotal, Playa Panama, Playa Potrero, Playa Puerto Viejo, Playa Real, Playa Tamarindo, Playa Ventanas, Playa Virador, and Playa Zapotillal.

If you’re destined for a different region of Costa Rica (not the northern Pacific coast / Guanacaste), don’t miss our related blog posts:

Nicoya Peninsula Beaches In Costa Rica
Central Pacific Beaches In Costa Rica
Caribbean Beaches In Costa Rica
Osa Peninsula Beaches In Costa Rica

Northern Pacific / Guanacaste beaches map

We created the above map to showcase where each Northern Pacific / Guanacaste beach is located. Included on the map are the following sites:

• Playa Avellanas (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Blanca (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Brasilito (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Conchal (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Danta (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Dantita (marked by a sun icon)
• Playas del Coco (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Flamingo (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Grande (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Hermosa (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Junquillal (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Langosta (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Matapalo (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Minas (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Nacascolo (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Negra (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Ocotal (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Panama (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Potrero (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Puerto Viejo (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Real (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Tamarindo (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Ventanas (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Virador (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Zapotillal (marked by a sun icon)

Playa Avellanas (GC)

Playa Avellanas (sometimes cited as Playa Avellana) is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

Playa Blanca (GC)

Playa Blanca is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

Playa Brasilito (GC)

Playa Brasilito is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Brasilito, Costa Rica, and connects with the north end of Playa Conchal.

Playa Conchal (GC)

Playa Conchal is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Brasilito, Costa Rica.

Playa Danta (GC)

Playa Danta is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Las Catalinas, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Danta, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Danta Costa Rica (Guanacaste) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Dantita (GC)

Playa Dantita is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits north of the coastal community of Las Catalinas, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Dantita, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Dantita Costa Rica (Guanacaste) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa del Coco (GC)

Playa del Coco is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Playas del Coco, Costa Rica.

Playa Flamingo (GC)

Playa Flamingo is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica.

Playa Grande (GC)

Playa Grande is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Playa Grande, Costa Rica, and falls within the boundary of the Marino Las Baulas National Park. Payment of a national park entrance fee is not required to access this beach, unless your visit is part of an authorized turtle nesting/turtle observation tour.

Playa Hermosa (GC)

Playa Hermosa is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Hermosa, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Hermosa Costa Rica (Guanacaste) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Junquillal (GC)

Playa Junquillal is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Tamarindo, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Junquillal, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Junquillal Costa Rica (Guanacaste) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Langosta (GC)

Playa Langosta is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits southwest of the coastal community of Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

Playa Matapalo (GC)

Playa Matapalo is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Playas del Coco, Costa Rica.

Playa Minas (GC)

Playa Minas (also known as Playa Zapotillal) is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Brasilito, Costa Rica.

Playa Nacascolo (GC)

Playa Nacascolo is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits on the east side of Costa Rica’s Papagayo Peninsula. To learn more about Playa Nacascolo, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Nacascolo Costa Rica (Guanacaste) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Negra (GC)

Playa Negra is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

Playa Ocotal (GC)

Playa Ocotal is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Playas del Coco, Costa Rica.

Playa Panama (GC)

Playa Panama is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits north of the coastal community of Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica.

Playa Potrero (GC)

Playa Potrero is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Potrero, Costa Rica.

Playa Puerto Viejo (GC)

Playa Puerto Viejo is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Brasilito, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Puerto Viejo, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Puerto Viejo Costa Rica (Guanacaste) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Real (GC)

Playa Real is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Brasilito, Costa Rica.

Playa Tamarindo (GC)

Playa Tamarindo is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Tamarindo, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Tamarindo, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Tamarindo Costa Rica (Guanacaste) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Ventanas (GC)

Playa Ventanas is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits north of the coastal community of Playa Grande, Costa Rica.

Playa Virador (GC)

Playa Virador is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits on the west side of Costa Rica’s Papagayo Peninsula. To learn more about Playa Virador, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Virador Costa Rica (Guanacaste) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Zapotillal (GC)

Playa Zapotillal (also known as Playa Minas) is located in the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Brasilito, Costa Rica.

QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Which of the Northern Pacific / Guanacaste beaches described above is your favorite?

Pura vida!

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